How did Singapore’s new PM Lawrence Wong fare in his first National Day Rally speech?

The personable style of new Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his first National Day Rally speech was well received, but experts cautioned that the reset in social safety net policies he outlined could seem incremental rather than the radical change some had anticipated.

Wong’s policy reset included a long-awaited unemployment payment scheme, increasing state-sponsored parental leave by 10 weeks and a new training allowance for Singaporeans aged 40 and above who take time off from work to study.

“A large part of the changes is enhancement of what is already in place,” sociologist Tan Ern Ser told This Week in Asia. “However, the measure to support retrenched workers and facilitate their [return] employment is new, though it comes without compromising the fundamentals of workfare, as opposed to welfare.”

While these policies will come with a hefty price tag, Singapore is likely to be able to foot the bill with its sustainable budget model, analysts say.

During Sunday’s rally, Wong addressed Singapore in Malay, Mandarin and English, in one of the city state’s key political speeches and the first major one he has given since his swearing-in speech in May. Wong took over the reins from Lee Hsien Loong, the son of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Wong spoke at length about his personal life, including difficulties adjusting to his kindergarten as a child and attending neighbourhood schools.

Nydia Ngiow, managing director of Singapore at BowerGroupAsia, said Wong took “great effort to position himself as a ‘fellow Singaporean’ rather than the prime minister”.

“By sharing several personal anecdotes and taking a self-deprecating approach to his Malay and Mandarin skills, Wong’s campaign to make himself and his team more